


Real

by JourneyFairfeather



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-15
Updated: 2014-05-15
Packaged: 2018-01-24 21:00:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1616936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JourneyFairfeather/pseuds/JourneyFairfeather
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It takes Fitz a long time to heal. Jemma is there through it all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Real

Jemma woke up while it was still dark outside her window, blinking rapidly to help her eyes adjust. She stretched and was surprised to feel nothing but cool, empty sheets beside her. She hadn’t slept alone since Fitz got out of the hospital, and the lack of his warmth sent a rush of panic through her.

She moved out of the small bunk, (smaller than her bed on The Bus - she couldn’t wait for that plane to be back in full service,) and down the hallway. As she expected, she found him in the makeshift lab near the back of the plane. Sliding the silent glass door open, she knocked on the frame so as not to startle him.

“Fitz?”

He looked up, his blue eyes bleary and dull. “I hate this, Jemma.”

“You hate what?”

Fitz rubbed his hand over his face and gestured to the Night-Night Pistol. “I know what I have to do. I know how to make this work. I just can’t get my hands to cooperate. I _see_ the solution, but I can’t _do_ it.”

The tears clogging his voice almost made her cry herself. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she stepped beside him, linking her fingers with his on the tabletop. “You’re getting there, Fitz,” she whispered. “You’ve come so far. Just a few more weeks and you’ll be back to the Fitz we all know and love.”

He smiled sadly. “It’s pretty pathetic that relearning the basic motor skills I need is harder than accessing the memories I need to do them.”

“We should be glad it’s something you _can_ relearn.” The tears were starting to slide down Jemma’s cheeks, and she tried desperately to blink them away. “It could have been so much worse.”

“But it wasn’t, thanks to you. You’re my hero.”

“Just returning the favor,” she replied, her voice cracking as she attempted to grin.

Fitz curled his fingers tighter around hers. “We’re quite the pair, aren’t we?”

“Let’s just hope our personal heroics are over for the foreseeable future.” Meeting his eyes, she quirked her lips again. “I really don’t like it when I’m not sure if I’ll ever see you again.”

“Jemma?” Fitz’ voice was quiet, insecure. “Tell me again.”

It had become a ritual, a way for Fitz to know that it was real, that _he_ was real. Jemma took both of his hands in hers and held his gaze. “You, Leo Fitz, saved my life. You were willing to die for me because you love me. I wouldn’t _let_ you die for me because I love _you_.” She stood on tiptoe and pressed a kiss between his eyebrows. “I love you, Fitz.”

He smiled again - a real, genuine smile. “I love you, too, Jem.” He pulled her close, burying his nose in her hair.

“Come back to bed, Fitz,” she murmured. “We can try again in the morning.”

+

It took time - a _lot_ of time - for Fitz to get back to his version of normal. Jemma was there through all of it, by his side, reminding him that they were each other’s hero, each other’s best friend, each other’s _everything_. She kept reminding him long after he was healed, long after she took his name, long after S.H.I.E.L.D. She reminded him every day until she couldn’t anymore.

And on his last day, with his last breath, Fitz offered one last reminder to the sky, hoping that, wherever Jemma's energy was...

...she heard.


End file.
